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Great pictures, David!! For me, seeing them fledge has been a matter of happenstance—right place (by the window), right time. I’m so impressed you actually got a photo! Congrats!! Here’s hoping for a 2nd late nesting…
This made me laugh out loud! What a sight that must have been! Those doves are so funny. We have song sparrows that nest in the big flower bed out front or shrubs along house, and they spend a lot of time on the bluebird house singing. If they’re singing a territorial song, they usually do it on this tall metal garden art thing in the bed. But anytime I appear in the front yard, they land on the bluebird box and sound a warning. It’s amazing to watch this. If the blues swoop in, they quickly exit, but the blues are friendly to them. Sometimes the song sparrow will sit on the bluebird box and preen. That shows me the blues can distinguish between the native sparrow and the HOSP. They’re smart.
I’ve read reports where people came out in the morning and had a snake curled up in their trap with no decoys in sight! I pray I never deal with that! I cover mine with a tarp at night but I weigh it down with boards and big stones. We have foxes that come thru and an assortment of feral cats, coyotes and the regular riffraff (raccoons, possums). I just don’t want to scare those decoys to death. That’s one reason I am slow to put the trap out these days. It’s a chore to cover and uncover each day—and that’s another chore in an already crazy busy season!
I’m sorry that happened to you. Have you been catching any?
Dana, I’m a straw hat lady, and trust me, I wear that when I’m in the yard at all times and especially near that box! My husband does the same. The only time I’ve gotten near that box is when they’re off chasing another bird or getting food for the babies. This is new for us—our last pair was very peaceful and tolerant. Thankfully the tree swallows are that way still.
I’m mulching the giant flower bed out front that separates the two nest boxes. The big mulch pile is near the tree swallows, and they took the delivery and my daily slow-poke mulch moving with ease. The blues, on the other hand, get really worked up when I wheelbarrow by their box to the backyard. The other day the male chased me from his box halfway back to the mulch pile! It’s funny. In the past I’ve shown the babies to neighbors, but I don’t dare now. Our neighbor’s grandkids are visiting next door, and I’d love to show them, but don’t want to scar those kids for life!
Carol and Dave, thank you for sharing about the type of grease to use and how exactly to do it! I’ve researched this and never found the answer. Everyone says “grease the pole” and all I can think of is Crisco! Ha. I know that’s not right. Fyi the Gilbertson guy also says to use auto wax on the metal poles for the climbing critters. The wax makes it slippery.
Dave, we have a Carolina wren that I mostly hear and rarely see. My neighbor came back from vacation and told me there’s a mourning dove nest on his propane tank under the lid. I bet any $$ it’s a Carolina wren. Check out the differences online visually and learn the song. I hear the long trill-type one regularly. I see them most often in winter at the suet feeders and heated birdbath. Congrats if that’s what you have! They’re peaceful. Fingers crossed for you!! They’re good bug eaters.
Phillyblues, I’m so sorry to hear this update. I agree with David’s advice. Clean it up and get ready for what may happen next. It sounds like you’re trying to do a good work in that area. Fingers and toes crossed for you! It is disheartening. I know this well. Be encouraged in the fact that you’re so prepared for whenever the next time is. I know it’s not the same, but are the orioles still coming around? That was a big victory for you this year, I think you said.
Robbe, my husband and I have come to love the TRES, too. They let him get very close to the box to take photos & video. They’re very tolerant of us and recognize our cars when we turn onto the street. We love the blues, too, but have come to appreciate all these birds. Your story sounds like mine—I saw bluebirds one spring after we moved here, so I started learning. I’d never lived anywhere with the right habitat before so I was excited. The great news is that with your houses up, you’ll probably have a pair next year, if all goes right (unlike this year’s weather insanity!). We find that the TRES return like clockwork each year to claim their box. This year they were a few days late due to late freezes, but they usually come back a year to the day. I mark it on the calendar! Enjoy!!
So exciting, Dana!! Fingers crossed for you! We had 4 eggs and may have babies now, but I can barely walk thru the part of the yard where the box is without getting dive-bombed! These new bluebirds are a trip! I’ll try to check sometime day, but it’s crazy. The male is really aggressive with his guarding.
Carol, what kind of feeder do you use for the peanut butter suet? I have several suet feeders out, but never see the blues at them in winter. Maybe I don’t have the right kind?
I was reflecting on this situation yday while mowing. Many of us have had a strange year with the blues, and through it we’ve had to assess, pause, question, seek advice, etc. In the end, though, it seems like things righted and the bluebirds did their thing without issue. My conclusion while mowing was this: So often on this board this year the answer has turned out to be to wait, watch and see what happens. I’m mentally adding a pause button to my approach to things—bluebird-related and life-related. I’ll pause and wait a day (or six!) and see what unfolds. I’m sure it’ll be hard to remember that when I’m in the midst of a conundrum/potential crisis!! But maybe when I think on the bluebirds, I can remember!
All that to say so glad things worked out for you, Carol-TN. Enjoy the nesting season!!
TN Carol, I actually looked this up in March this year b/c a CAWR had built a nest in a window box on our shed. I panicked at first thinking oh, no, potential problem! From what I read, they are not a threat to bluebirds like the HOWR. They are more peaceful and coexist with bluebirds according to everything I researched, and I dug pretty deeply. They tend to nest absolutely anywhere—in a flower pot, old tennis shoe, porch light, propane tank cover, etc. The nest we saw was built in the grasses in the windowbox and had a roof and a porch. That’s how they build.
So I’m not sure what was happening there with the box visit. You could probably distract them by hanging up a flower pot.
I would say to watch the bluebirds and see if their behavior is on track for nesting. If the CAWR doesn’t bother them, if they’re not chasing it off, then I wouldn’t worry. Our blues this year are pretty aggressive, and they chase off any bird they don’t want around, but ignore the tree swallows (now), song sparrows, house finches. The song sparrows and finches sit on the bluebird box often, esp if they see a potential threat nearby (usually me!). It’s like a community effort to protect those eggs!
